| Beginner Mountain Bike Skills | | | | theupper portion of it. Practice at a moderate |
| Mountain biking is an exciting sport that can beenjoyed | | | | speed,standing and coasting right off the curb from |
| by anyone who knows how to ride a bike. | | | | theupper level to the lower level. Try this atdifferent |
| Compared to the average bike ride, it does | | | | speeds until it becomes second nature. |
| presentsome danger. Therefore, you should master | | | | Once you practice these techniques and get thehang |
| thesebasic skills before you hit the trails or thedirt. | | | | of them, you'll be able to hit the trails feelingcomfortable |
| You can practice these beginning skills at a localpark, | | | | on your mountain bike. Even though itmay take some |
| school, bike path, or simply around yourhouse. If you | | | | getting used to, it'll become secondnature before you |
| can, try to find a location witha steep hill. | | | | know it. |
| Get a feel for your pedals | | | | Cross Country Mountain Biking |
| Practice moving your foot away from the pedal,first | | | | Cross country mountain biking is cross country atits |
| while sitting on your bike with one foot onthe ground. | | | | finest. Where free riders and downhill bikersuse four |
| Next, move on to releasing andreplacing your foot | | | | wheel bikes and ski lifts to get them totheir destination, |
| while pedaling around for abit. Those with toe clip and | | | | cross country bikers get tothe top of the mountain by |
| clipless type footpedals will want to spend a bit more | | | | the ride. Though freeriding is very popular, the life vein |
| timepracticing. | | | | of the sporthas always been cross country biking. |
| Sit and spin for position | | | | Just as cross country riders are a different breed,the |
| Simply sit on your bike and pedal around. Youshould | | | | bikes they ride are as well. The cross countrybike is |
| keep your arms slightly bent. You shouldalso adjust | | | | completely different in many ways from othertypes of |
| your seat height so your leg is 70 to | | | | mountain riding bikes. The premise forcross country |
| 90 percent extended at the bottom of every strokeon | | | | riders is speed. Everything abouttheir bikes revolve |
| the pedal. Keep your body relaxed, as therewill never | | | | with the idea of making thebikes faster and faster. |
| be a position where you should haveeither your knees | | | | Bikes used in cross country mountain biking canbe fully |
| or your elbows locked. | | | | rigid frame, hardtails, or even fullsuspension frames. |
| Shifting gears | | | | Through the years, the crossover to full suspension |
| Get a feel for shifting gears with your bike. Thehigher | | | | has become very popular. |
| gears are harder to pedal and will gofaster while the | | | | The weight difference between free ride bikes |
| lower gears are easier to pedaland will help you | | | | andcross country bikes are considerable. You'll |
| ascend hills. As you get tosteeper hills, its best to shift | | | | beextremely hard pressed to find a bike that |
| before you getto the hill rather than while your on it. | | | | weighsmore than 24 pounds, and even that weight |
| Coasting | | | | can beheavy. Free ride bkes weigh close to 40 |
| You should spend a bit of time coasting whilestanding | | | | pounds,which makes the difference in weight pretty |
| on your pedals, without actually sittingon the seat. Keep | | | | close. |
| your arms bent but don't lockyour knees. Now, try | | | | If you've never tried cross country mountain biking,you'll |
| experimenting with shiftingyour body towards the rear | | | | probably find it to be a break from theordinary. Even |
| end of the bike. | | | | though this type of biking involvestrails, it's normally the |
| Pedal while standing | | | | type of terrain thatbeginners wouldn't want to ride. |
| You should get as comfortable as you can | | | | Involving hillsand rough terrain, cross country biking |
| withpedaling while standing on your bike. Try | | | | offersquite the rush. |
| liftingyourself off the seat while standing on the | | | | For mountain bikers everywhere, cross country isthe |
| pedals,then crank them around. You should try this | | | | way to go. It offers you a new assortment ofbikes, |
| inhigher gears on flat ground then again in lowergears | | | | new areas to bike, and a new twist tomountain biking |
| while on a hill. | | | | as you know it. If you've beenlooking for a mountain |
| Dropping down a curb | | | | biking rush, cross countrymountain biking is what you |
| Try finding a curb where you can easily get to | | | | need to be experiencing. |